Stafford’s Rob Hunt aims to put his injury woes behind him and step up to the plate at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.

The town’s only professional boxer competes in only his third fight since September on the Sky televised show next Friday night, taking on Chris Long.

It’s only the 23-year-old’s second fight in 2009, after beating Wolverhampton veteran Carl Allen at the Aston Villa Events Centre in February.

Hunt has had to cancel two bouts in the last few months, first a knuckle injury ruling him out of a trip to Burton to compete in October.

Then came another choker, missing the chance to headline the first professional boxing show in Stafford for over 20 years, after an injury suffered at work.

That card has been rescheduled rather than cancelled, and now the light-welterweight has been boosted by the chance to shine in front of a national audience before what will likely be a sell-out crowd.

He said: “I have had a fair bit of acupuncture now and that seems to have done the trick. It was a strange injury to get. I was drilling through a wall at work and it locked up, cracked both my wrists and pulled my tendons.

“I have had real bad luck with injuries in recent months, but thats boxing for you and now I just want to get back in the ring. I feel fine now, I am back in the gym and raring to go.

“To be part of this massive show at the Civic, with all the fans from Stafford supporting me, it a great way to come back.”